Apparatus for mechanically emptying superphosphate-chambers by means of revolving knives.



E. WENK. APPARATUS FOR MEGHANICALLY EMPTYING SUPERPH OSPHATE CHAMBERS BY MEANS OF REVOLVING KNIVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1912.

Patented July 30, 1912.

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APPARATUS FOR MECHANICALLY EMPTYING SUPERPHOSPHATE-GHAMBERS BY" MEANS OF REVOLVING KNIVES. F

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application'flled March 21, 1912. Serial No. 685,338 I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEMmVVnNK, a citizen of the ,Swiss Confederatiom residing at Basel, Switzerland, have inventedcertain new and useful-Improvements in Apparatus for Mechanically Emptying Superphosphateview of getting the superphosphate out of the receptacles in as finely divided a state and as dryvas possible, that is to say, so that it forms a material ready for use and which does not require any further treatment such as grinding and drying. In order to realize this ithas been hitherto necessary to make the cutting knives revolve with a comparatively slowspeed and consequently to slowlyadvance the knives toward the mass of superphosphate or vice-versa. Experience has proved that the speed with which the knives advance mustnot exceed 1 to 1.5 millimeters per revolution of the knives if a material is to be obtained which is ready for use. i

The reason why the number of revolutions of the knives can be low only or the speed of revolution can be only slow'is, that the surface to be cut of the mass of superphosphate which is hot and moist has; to be continuously cooled and dried during the cutting if the layers cut ofi or scraped off have to crumble so as to form a material ready for use. When cutting or scraping ofl" the superphosphate, one has to try to expose as many pores as possible as these pores contain hot and acid water vapors and gases.

The cooling and drying of the surface to be.

cut have'hitherto been effected by continuously drawin off the hotacid vapors an gases which develop during the cutting or scraping of the superphosphate, and by drawing in fresh air. Owin to the slow revolving speed of the knife e output per hour is comparatively small;.for example, 4 to 5 tons of ready materiaLwith a scraping knife of 21} meters diameter and with 15 to 20 revolutions per minute.

The present invention has for its object to increase this efliciency of the apparatus by an outing the circumferential speed of the knife either owing to an increased speed or tionof the chamber being the same as has been the case with the devices of known "con struction. k

. -When' the circumferential speed is in creased, the speed with which the cutting PatentedJuly so, 1912.

to a greater length v of the knife, the ventila- I knife advances is increased correspondingly at the same time; care hasto be taken however to continuously drying in a sufficient manner the surface to belcutof the superphosphate blockif the material cut off in 'thin slices has to disintegrate so that it.

forms a material ready for use.

According to th's invention the cooling as well as the drying of the surface to be cut is obtained in the most perfect manner even with a five times greater cutting speed than hereinbefore mentioned and this is the case owing to the particular construction of the cutting device propera This cutting device is constructed so as to act, on the one hand,

as a scraper and, on the other hand, as a fan. The cuttmg device is'mounted in a chamber formed between the surface to be out of the .superphosphate block, and a disk closing that end of the superphos hate chamber at which the knife is inserte fresh air being drawn into the said chamber in such a manchamber from below so that this air draws along theajcid and hot gases which emanate from the superphosphate during the scraping, said gases being forced through the outlet at the upper end. The ventilating paddles further serve for sweeping the scraped otf'material which drops from the block to the -right and left of the outlet at the bottom of the chamber into the said outlet avoiding d thus that this material is drawn along in said chamber and gets smeared.

In the accompanying'drawings two forms of construction of the invention are shown by way of example."

Fi tlng evice. Figs. 2 and 3 are lateral elevations illustrating the emptying device on a smaller scale thanshown in Fig. l.

K is a cylindric fixed superphosphate chamber which has at its upper end a longitudinal slot K communicating with the outflow channel for the gases, said slat servre 1 is a front elevation of the cut--" phosphate into the chamber.

of the chamber-a longitudinal; .-slot K is ing further for the admission of the super- In the bottom arranged which, according to Figs-.- 1- and 2, has at either side a profile iron D-D' and which serves as outlet forthe material scraped off the block. The profile irons D D which, according to Figsfl and 2 are f arranged in the outlet slot K or according to Fig. 3 in the opening K serve as rails for a. .truckaA which carries the device for producing the revolving motion. and the ad- Vance of the cutting device bymeans of an electro-motor B. Upon ashaft driven from said electro-m'otor B and directly ,connected, by means of a'transmission with one of the axles-.of thetruck A (driving axle) a head a is mounted which carries a knife 11 com-u posed "of small'bladesand arranged infront.

of said head, 'andfui ther four rods 0, Q vand- 0', 0, which stand bright angles with re; of "the superpholsphate gard 'to the 1 axis chamber and which form a cross, said rodsv being secured in their position bymeans of transverse rodsfi. The'rods '0, 6 ca'i'ry small oblique cutting blades d which are arranged at uniform from the other, the rods 2;, 0", serving; for

. fixingrthe'paddles'e which withregardto.

the knife carrying rods' c;,,'have a de: termi-ned inclmed position as c'anbe, seen fromthe drawing. These paddles can-have,

as will be explainedhereinafte f, a ,1OOP-.

. is continuously drawn through the openlng means; of 'the I through the opening :K into the outflow channel 'for thegas'es together with the hot and acid vapors and gases.

being strongly" agitated by taneously ventilating, the material scraped ofi the-superphosphate block" as well asthe;

the paddles connected with the knife head a and along- .A is arranged as shown in ..ever preferable as the distance apart the; one V which is fixed. upon the frame of the truck A. The spacepaddles e and forced .out ,-f

of the knives is considerablyincreased as Well with'regard to the revolving motion as with regard tothe advance so that the output-offinished material can be greatly increased in comparison wi th the processus'e'd at present. rWit-hplants where phosphates are treated which are poor in carbonate of lime such as e have loopshaped extensions 6 pebble or hard rock phosphates which the scraped oft material slides before it can dropout of the chamber. This arrahgement 1s necessary in order to reduce the speed of said scraped off-material asthis .material has to be handled moredelicately than the other materiaL It islof no importance whether the truck Fig. 2, standing upon the rails,"or' as shown in Fig. 5 suspended. Theconstruction, Fig. 2 is howthe upperend of theapparatus.

I claim Apparatus for mechanicallyemptying re ceptacles filled "with superphosphate with prising :in combination with the driving shaft of the revoluble knives, a disk of the same diameter as the gases escape through I said the aid of revolving cutting knives cornchamber for closing i disk, small oblique cutting blades fixed upon said supports,

of said supports, paddles fixed to said ends for agitating the outlet the mate.

rial scraped off the block by the knives,

substantially as described and shown and or the purpose set' forth.'

,In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence Owing to this particular manner of scraping and of ,simul-;

two radial supports fixed;- .upon' saidshaft at right" angles with the knife supporting rods, obliquely bent ends g'o. air drawn intofthecharnber for cooling'the cutting surface andfQIf H sweeping out of the lower Copies of this patent ma y jbe obtained-foriive cents each; by adrlre ssiiig the Gdmmissipnen ot latents,

Washington, D. G. 

